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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-01-18 Finance Committee Minutes J° Finance Committee Meeting p January 18, 1995 FCu 1� .Gi 271ii �y5 The meeting was convened at 7 : 30 p.m. in the Conference Room at the Main Street Fire Station. Present were Chairman Richard Coco, FinCom members Gerry MacDonald, Jim Keigley, Nate White, Carol Grimm, and Gerry Vitale. Also present were Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner and Karen Polinsky from Killam School. Arriving at 7 :40 were Bill Murphy, and Steve Blewitt. Vice Chairman Fred VanMagness arrived at 10 : 15 p.m. Approval of Minutes On a motion by White seconded by Keigley the minutes of January 4, 1995 were approved by a vote of 6-0-0. Liaison Reports Gerry Vitale reported on the open space task force. They discussed how important it is to get town support. They are concerned that there were no funds allocated to them. Chairperson Nancy Eaton plans to contact Dick Coco to arrange time to meet with FinCom. Judy Lablanc from Understanding Handicaps would like to meet with FinCom to discuss the need for funds to hire a part-time administrator because she is leaving the program. They depend on year round fund raisers to support the program. The School Department has added a line item into their budget to fund the administrator. She contacted Dick Coco and has been invited to the February let meeting. Nate reported on the School Committee. The budget has been submitted. They will meet with FinCom on February 22nd and March 1st. The Superintendent is resigning on April 30, 1995 and they are looking for an acting Superintendent to handle things in the interim. The budget impact will be very minimal . They are looking for someone already within the system and plan to add approximately $6 ,000.00 to the chosen person' s salary. 1996 Capital Improvement Plan Peter Hechenbleikner provided a draft of the 1996 Capital Improvement Plan and Budget. He asked that FinCom only focus on sections K 6 L. Section K is Debt Service and Section L is employee benefits. The general debt service was consolidated into line K1 for a total of $1 ,622 ,723 .00. On a motion by White seconded by MacDonald the Finance Committee voted to recommend Item K1 in the amount of $1 ,622 ,723 .00 by a vote of 8-0-0. It was decided by the Finance Committee to postpone the vote for line item L1, Contributory Retirement because of an error on the State Actuary report. 2 On a motion by Grimm seconded by MacDonald the Finance Committee voted to recommend Item L2 in the amount of $88, 822.00 for Non Contributory Retirement Pension by a vote of 8/0/0. On a motion by Blewitt seconded by White the Finance Committee voted to recommend Item L3 for Unemployment Benefits in the amount of $20,000 by a vote of 8/0/0. It was decided by the Finance Committee to postpone the vote for Item L4, Employee Benefits/ Health Insurance, because of an error on the spreadsheet. On a motion by MacDonald seconded by White the Finance Committee voted to recommend Item L5 for Employee Benefits Medicare and Social Security in the amount of $231 , 329.00 by a vote of 8/0/0. On a motion by Keigley seconded by White the Finance Committee voted to recommend Item L6 for Workers Compensation in the amount of $300,000 by a vote of 4/0/4 with Grimm, Murphy, Blewitt, and Coco abstaining. On a motion by MacDonald seconded by Keigley the Finance Committee voted to recommend Item L7 in the amount of $20,000 for Police and Fire Indemnification by a vote of 8/0/0. On a motion by Keigley seconded by Vitale an additional column on the budget was requested to show a total net cost which includes finance changes on approved projects. This was approved by a vote of 5/3/0. Capital Improvement Program Recommended Changes Submitted by Vice Chairman Fred VanMagness FinCom reviewed the recommended changes submitted by Fred VanMagness . Item 1 : Peter Hechenbleikner reported that the cost projections are escalated as requested by the Finance Committee last year . Item 2 : The Capital Improvement Advisory Sub Committee did establish a policy that nothing under $100,000. 00 would be bonded. Anything under $100,000.00 would be paid with cash. Item 3 : This item was approved by a vote of 5/3/0 earlier in the meeting. Item 4: The Capital Improvement Advisory Sub Committee already has a system of prioritization. i,. Item 5: It was decided by FinCom that the decision as to Mw whether or not to lease or buy computer equipment should fall under the jurisdiction of the Town Manager or the School Committee. 3 Item 6: If the whole roof at Birch Meadow was done when the expansion was done it would have been eligible for SHAH reimbursement. If Town Meeting went out now and appropriated or authorized $140,000.00 in additional debt it could be tacked on to the Birch Meadow project and make it SHAH eligible. The only problem is we would have to figure out a way to finance it . Item 7: Item SD-B-11 was separated from SD-B-1 because of the difference in urgency. If combined both may be SHAH eligible . This will be looked at by the Town Manager. Item 8 : The figures for Project PW-R-4 is not a error, this is for the betterment of roads. The Town will finance the original work and the residents will pay the Town back with interest over the next 20 years. Item 9: The School Department currently carries a line item of $50,000.00 for Computers. This is listed as part of Operating budget. Fred ' s suggestion is to move it from the Operating budget into the Capital budget. FinCom decided to leave it were it is. Item 10: Project SD-B-12 Coolidge renovation is necessary because they are short on space. They had to take part of the media center and give it to the special needs students. The schools Psychologist is currently working out of the custodians closet. The proposed $120,000 is to put a two wing portable on the school grounds so they can move either the Media Center or the Psychologist. Item 11 : It was decided that FinCom would visit the Police Station at 7 :00 pm on February 1st to evaluate the building. In addition, the Town Manager is investigating the possibility of hiring a grant writer to see if there is any grant money available to help offset the cost of reconstruction. Item 12: Item PW-B-12 6 13 are for exhaust systems in the Fire Station. There is a good ventilation system available on the market now. Town manager believes this can not be postponed because it is vital to the employee ' s health. Item 13 : The Local Health Division has asked the State if they would assist in reviewing the plans in advance for both the air handling and radon control . The State has agreed to help. The next scheduled meeting of the Finance Committee is February 1 , 1995 at 7 : 00 p.m. at the police station. After touring the building, the meeting will move to the Conference Room at Town Hall . 4 On a motion by MacDonald seconded by Grimm the Finance Committee adjourned at 10: 22 p.m. by a vote of 8/0/0. Respectfully submitted, !''L ( tt2a� Maureen Vierra Secretary